Lionsgate has just announced that the highly-anticipated action sequel John Wick: Chapter 4 (rumored to be titled John Wick: Chapter 4 - Hagakure) has bowed out of 2022 entirely and will now open in theaters worldwide on March 24, 2023.
While we've been expecting a delay of some sort due to the film's original release date clashing with the launch of Tom Cruise's long-awaited Top Gun: Maverick over the extended Memorial Day weekend, we had no idea the studio would opt to push it back this far. It's currently unclear why they decided to delay it by ten months, but it seems possible that the cast and crew could be gearing up for some additional photography at the top of the new year.
There was also buzz last year that Lionsgate was keen on filming Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 back-to-back, so they reverted to that plan and want both films in the can before the end of the 2022 calendar year.
Keanu Reeves will return as the titular boogeyman, with an all-new supporting cast consisting of Donnie Yen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; xXx: The Return of Xander Cage), newcomer Rina Sawayama, Shamier Anderson (Wynonna Earp; Goliath), Bill Skarsgård (It; Deadpool 2), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai; The Wolverine), Scott Adkins (X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Doctor Strange), Marko Zaror (Alita: Battle Angel; Sultan), and Clancy Brown (Thor: Ragnarok; Daredevil).
Laurence Fishburne (The Bowery King), Ian McShane (Winston), and Lance Reddick (Charon) have all also been confirmed to return for the upcoming fourth installment.
Chad Stahelski is back in the director's chair, this time utilizing a screenplay from Shay Hatten and Michael Finch. Stahelski co-directed the first installment with David Leitch, but was the sole director on both Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.
Plot details remain locked away in the deepest corners of The Continental.
John Wick: Chapter 4 - Hagakure is now scheduled to hit theaters on March 24, 2023.